EXPERIMENTS WITH SPECIFIC MANURES. 185 



am aware that in Eng-land this manure has been long* used 

 and ajipreciated, but it is of very recent introduction into 

 Scotland ; and the merit of being- the first to introduce it, 

 so far as I am aware, belongs to Messrs. Mack and Ruthar- 

 ford, of Leith. The facts, however, are conclusive, and 

 night -soil, if judiciously prepared, will, I am convinced, 

 attain to as much celebrity as g'uano. Every effort should 

 be made to secure it in abundance ; particularly, it should 

 be impressed upon the authorities of cities and larg-e towns, 

 the desirableness and propriety of attending- to its collection. 

 This done, not only would a great national good be secured, 

 but a large increase of revenue would result to the cities and 

 towns themselves. Glancing at its effects, it is foimd to be 

 rich in the production of grain, both in quantity and quality. 

 As a producer of straw, it is inferior to many of the other 

 applications ; but, on the other hand, its economical results 

 are superior. In mixture, its value is considerably enhanced, 

 nor are its essential qualities diminished ; its production of 

 grain, in the case of oats, is greatly increased, its cjuality 

 little inferior ; and its produce in straw, though still inferior 

 to other substances, is largely augmented. In wheat, these 

 remarks, in respect to mixtures with this substance, do not 

 hold good. The produce, mixed with saltpetre-refuse and 

 gypsum, is inferior to that from its individual application. 

 I attribute this, however, in a great measure, to the presence 

 of gypsum. That substance has not at all answered my 

 expectations in any of my experiments. And, ag"ain, this 

 failure is the result of only one application in mixture, and 

 therefore does not afford sulhcient data for a decision. But, 

 be that as it may, the fact that it is, in every essential par- 

 ticular, a most valuable top-dressing for wheai;, is unques- 

 tionable. Compared with guano, night-soil has not been so 

 successfid in its application to root-crops, nor, on the whole, 

 has it entirely failed ; a sufficient gaiarantee, that in respect 

 to these crops, it is an improveable manure. This latter 

 conclusion is strengthened by the fact that, allied to other 

 substances, and applied to the turnip -crop mentioned in 

 tables G and H, it in the one surpasses farm-yard manure 

 in two applications, and nearly equals it in 'a third ; and in 

 the other table, while it surpasses farm-manure, it also excels 

 the produce from guano itself — the mixtures with both sub- 

 stances being- equal in kind and quantity. For the mixtures 

 most beneficial in combination with night-soil, I must refer 

 to the tables, merely' remarking, that in the instance of its 



